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When did Enrico Fermi achieve the first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction?
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nuclear fission
Italian-born physicist Enrico Fermi explaining a problem in physics, c. 1950. He was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize for Physics.
Enrico Fermi and his team of physicists achieved the first self-sustaining, controlled nuclear chain reaction on December 2, 1942.123
This historic milestone occurred at the University of Chicago, where the experiment was conducted in a squash court located beneath the stands of Stagg Field. The achievement was a critical component of the Manhattan Project, providing essential insights into nuclear fission and the potential for nuclear power.413